Soroti Kinerja Kejagung, Nilai Peran KPK Perlu Dievaluasi

JAKARTA - The assessment of the role of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has resurfaced after views emerged that encouraged an evaluation of the institution. This spotlight is also related to the performance of the Attorney General's Office in handling major corruption cases.

Senior Researcher of IndexPolitica Indonesia, Denny Charter, assessed that the function of the KPK as a trigger mechanism has been completed. According to Denny, the current condition actually shows overlapping authority between the KPK and other law enforcement agencies.

"KPK was born as an ad hoc institution because at that time the Prosecutor's Office and the National Police were considered weak. Now the situation is different. The Prosecutor's Office is much stronger," Denny said in a written statement received in Jakarta, Friday, April 17.

In recent years, the Attorney General's Office has handled a number of major cases with significant state losses, such as Jiwasraya, Asabri, to the tin trade case. This performance is considered an indicator that law enforcement is no longer dependent on one special institution.

Denny assessed that the existence of the KPK at this time has the potential to create inefficiency, both in terms of budget and authority. He said there was a "twin sun" in law enforcement that could trigger overlap.

In addition, he highlighted a number of internal cases that were considered to damage the credibility of the KPK, including alleged violations of ethics and cases of extortion in the KPK detention house.

"When the main law enforcement agencies are running, the function of ad hoc agencies such as the KPK should be completed," he said.

Denny also compared Indonesia with countries such as Japan, the United States, and Germany which do not have special institutions such as the KPK, but are still able to keep corruption levels low through a strong prosecutor system.

However, the researcher who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the National Leadership of the Nusantara Awakening Party (PKN) emphasized that the dissolution of the KPK could not be done unconditionally. The government must ensure the independence of the Attorney General's Office through a revision of the law.

"The Attorney General must be truly professional and free from political interference. That is the main requirement," said Denny.

According to Denny, if independence is guaranteed, then strengthening the Prosecutor's Office can be a solution to simplify the legal enforcement system without losing effectiveness in eradicating corruption.